Getting Your Account & Blog Started

When you see the form below fill in all the required boxes. You are not required to input your birthday or other details if you do not want to.

Select a password and confirm it.

For profile details, please input your name. It is okay to use syntax such as janed or joed or a pseudonym instead of your full name. You must use lowercase. Do not feel you must use your real name or anything that identifies you.

Course Blog

You will also create a new blog for the course site at this stage.

Select the box that you want to create a blog and give it a URL and name. The URL can be a shortened version of the name. Your blog title can be anything you would like – be creative! Please say yes to your blog being public. Do not check: Discourage search engines from indexing.

Click “Complete Sign Up.” You’ll receive a confirmation e-mail from the system to your mailbox. Please confirm by clicking the link in the e-mail.

After you’ve confirmed your account, you’ll be able to log into the system from the front page. You can also click the link the “Remember Me” button to keep yourself logged in

Once you’ve logged in successfully, you’ll be brought to your profile page or you can access it by clicking on your user name in the top right. Use the buttons to edit your profile and change your avatar (the picture that represents you). Customize as much as you’d like. Note that you’re not required to use your photo – any type of graphic, avatar, etc. is fine.

Students will also be expected to use the course Web site multiple times a week to stay up to date with readings, assignments, and blogging. This is also a way for students to experience the emerging social nature of the web – similar systems are being used in library settings all over the world. Librarians are working, writing and sharing in open, online systems created for interaction with each other and with library users. The course site utilizes the WordPress software package to create an interactive environment for sharing and discourse. You must create an account on the site but no one in class is required to share their full name, photo or any other details. The use of avatars and aliases is acceptable.

It is essential that you keep steady attention to the course, to the modules, to the readings, and to the blog postings from your classmates.

Navigating Course Content:

Under the Course Modules tab on our site, you’ll find all the topics we’ll explore for class. There will be different sections. These include:

“Lecture” is the weekly media presentation from me. I utilize slide decks to talk about the week’s focus. Sometimes I’ll point to other materials or resources in the lectures for those who are curious. These are not required.

“Read” are assigned, required readings that students are expected to understand and incorporate into their work in the class overall.

“View” are assigned, required media-based presentations that extend your knowledge and offer new dimensions to the topics.

“Explore” topics/links/materials are optional further enhancements to the course content that offer more insight for those who are interested.